Wonderful news! Leslie Arbogast, an internationally recognized expert at teaching and performing Dunham dance will be a lead teacher at this summer’s Festival. She will teach Dunham technique and repertory to participants in the M-F workshops, teach an open master class at the Full Day of Dance© and also perform in the Festival Concert. We are thrilled to have her and Dunham dance as part of the Festival. “Dunham Technique is a fusion of Ballet, Modern, and cultural dances associated with the African Diaspora, created by dancer, choreographer, anthropologist, and humanitarian Katherine Dunham. Considered a “way of life”, Dunham Technique is not only dance, but also a theoretical and philosophical model that may be applied to all aspects of a dancer’s life,” wrote Ms Arbogast. Ms Arbogast studied in East St. Louis with master Dunham dancers and performed internationally. She has been a guest instructor of Dunham, Afro-Haitian, and Samba in Muscat, Oman, and Serra Grande, Brazil. She taught Dunham technique at the City Studio Dance Center, Dance Anthropology at the St. Louis Juvenile Detention Center, and Dance Therapy for those recovering from mental illness at the Independence Center, in St. Louis, for 8 years. She now lives and dances in San Diego where she is pursuing a graduate certificate in Native American Studies. We are thrilled to have her join in the Festival! Don’t miss this opportunity; the International Dance Festival-Silicon Valley, 8/11-17, Mountain View, CA.